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Friday, November 30, 2012

Pastor Mark Derksen allegedly tried to hook people for God using heroin and meth. He was arrested in a sting operation after complaints that he was giving away free samples.

Although his Faith Mountain Christian Church in Fountain Hills is closed, Derksen was still active in the community.

After receiving tips about Derksen, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office put together an undercover sting operation in which deputies were able to buy drugs. Investigators say they witnessed 30 other people buy drugs at the pastor's apartment in a single day.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio made the announcement Wednesday night, saying the pastor's apartment was not far from his home in Fountain Hills.

A failed pastor of a failed church resorting to selling drugs to make a living. What will happen next, a high school science teacher making and selling meth...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

While reading 50 Reasons to Boycott the Catholic Church by Adam Lee, I followed a link to Tainted Saint: Mother Teresa Defended Pedophile Priest by Peter Jamison. I am no fan of Mother Teresa. I know the story of her love of suffering, which the world conveniently ignores. I did not know she was connected to the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal. This stunning new information (to me anyway) added another layer to complex tapestry of hatred, lies and misinformation that is Mother Teresa.

…Yet documents obtained by SF Weekly suggest that Mother Teresa knew one of her favorite priests was removed from ministry for sexually abusing a Bay Area boy in 1993, and that she nevertheless urged his bosses to return him to work as soon as possible. The priest resumed active ministry, as well as his predatory habits. Eight additional complaints were lodged against him in the coming years by various families, leading to his eventual arrest on sex-abuse charges in 2005.

The priest was Donald McGuire, a former Jesuit who has been convicted of molesting boys in federal and state courts and is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence…

The “she” referenced in the first paragraph of the quote is none other than Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known to the world as Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa goes on to directly intervene in the case, which leads to the reinstatement of Donald McGuire and the abuse of more children.

In a 1994 letter to McGuire's Jesuit superior in Chicago, it appears that Mother Teresa acknowledged she had learned of the "sad events which took [McGuire] from his priestly ministry these past seven months," and that McGuire "admitted imprudence in his behavior," but she wished to see him put back on the job. The letter was written after McGuire had been sent to a psychiatric hospital following an abuse complaint to the Jesuits by a family in Walnut Creek.

Paz is out in Los Angeles as part of the West Tour "tour" for his Dust & Grooves (D&G) project. D&G began when Paz relocated from his home country of Israel to New York City in 2008. While he makes his living shooting mostly portraiture, he wanted to find a side project to hold his interest. As a record fanatic himself, Paz gravitated to other vinyl junkies and began with shooting Brazilian record collector and store owner Joel Oliveria four years ago…

What a fascinating idea for a photography project. I ought to hook him up with my son.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

I have no sympathy for Charles Jaynes. He’s a convicted child murderer and corpse rapists. The bastard needs to rot, nameless and forgotten, in some dank prison cell. The thing is, Jaynes wants to change his name because he’s adopted the Wiccan faith in an attempt at spiritual development and healing, and it seems the Wiccans don’t want him.

“The Covenant of the Goddess, a public not-for-profit organization representing Witches and Wiccans for 37 years, in no way views the actions of Charles Jaynes as being even remotely related to the religion that we recognize as Wicca,” said Heather Greene, National Public Information Officer for Covenant of the Goddess, in a statement on Tuesday. “Nor do we, as a religion, have any tenet that mandates a legal change of name for any reason.”

A made up religion is rejecting a murderer for crimes committed in 1997 because, well… they don’t like what he did. I thought the whole thing with religion was about spiritual transformation, rebirth, and atonement? A metamorphosis from who you were to who you are meant to be (under whatever faith you aspire too). Wicca is no different. They simply don’t want an evil manipulative and unrepentant murderer linked to Wicca. Go figure.

Let’s break it down:

“The Covenant of the Goddess, a public not-for-profit organization representing Witches and Wiccans for 37 years, in no way views the actions of Charles Jaynes as being even remotely related to the religion that we recognize as Wicca,”

Jaynes was not a Wiccan in 1997 when he brutally murdered a 10-year-old boy and then raped the corpse. Today, Jaynes is a transformed warlock looking for a little Wiccan love. The Covenant of the Goddess is using his past crimes to judge him today as if there were not transformation. Who are they to judge? Is this the way it works for all who convert? The is some kind of acceptable person test? What is the acceptable threshold for past crimes. If you murder a child but don’t rape his corpse, is that okay? If you rape but don’t murder, is that ok? I mean seriously now, there must be standards or people will think that the Wiccan faith is simply making this stuff up as it goes along.

Nor do we, as a religion, have any tenet that mandates a legal change of name for any reason.”

This is a just a technicality. I don’t know a Wiccan who does not go by their Wiccan name. Be it Malachite Rayne Ravynne, or Dandelion Fearless, or whatever bullshit made-up name practitioners adopt. I know a Wiccan named Carol who insists I call her Spider Faerie. The fact that The Covenant of the Goddess does not have a tenet supporting mandatory names changes is meaningless. The reason your organization does not call for mandatory name changes is that it is too burdensome to do so and you prefer secrecy, thus secret Wiccan names. Your faith encourages Wiccan names. At least be honest about it.

How can you be honest about something that is a complete work of fiction? Every word is a lie, even if you believe it to be true. When you try to apply standards of belief on others, it shows your faith in a bad light, don’t Wiccans see that?

Pastor Ernest Carter (68) of New Life Pentecostal Holiness Church was arrested for the rape and incest of two juveniles. There is a 99% chance that Carter will be convicted and die in prison. That’s just the way it works in these cases. Pastor Carter appears to be an evil pastor and is on his way to face justice. I see too many cases just like this one. The numbers are overwhelming. Carter will fall. I have no doubt.

Reading the comment threads on his arrest adds more evidence that church people, and I mean lots of church people, are just dumb. Pastor Alterry Henry says…

To those on this panel of comments - I dont personally know this man but I do know that the scriptures say that he who is without sin, cast the 1st. stone and also that he which is strong in the lord should pray to restore them that fall. Instead of running ya'll mouths and gosseping about these people ya'll need to be down on your knees weeping to God. Learn to live Holy. Pastor Alterri Henri @ Holy Ground Church = youtube us for a real word of God!

Pastor Henry does not address the crimes of his fellow pastor, instead he tells us to shut the fuck up and get on our knees. It’s an opportunity to witness. His words are a single minded and illiterate focus on his needs, which are presumably, to spread the Good Word and fill his pews. Yet, he spreads the words as if we are children and orders us to “live Holy”, whatever that means. As a final insult, he pimps his YouTube channel. In the kingdom of dumb, pastor Henri is king. Of course, he only offers you one word from God (youtube us for a real word of God!). I bet that word is ‘um’…

God does not speak to us. If he did, we would all be Christians. Have you ever listened to a person who claims to hear God’s voice? If not asking for donations, they are explaining away their crimes. Like this poor drunken sod.

When authorities questioned why she was driving so fast, she explained it was "because I was letting the Lord spirit [sic] guide me," according to TCPalm.com. and claimed she banged the car horn long and hard because of "the Lord telling me to do it."

Melissa Miller, like so many other hapless buffoons, claims that God told her to do x, y or z, because it’s a convenient excuse or because she is mentally ill. People who deliberately use this excuse do so to escape responsibility for their actions. They should be treated as if they have a mental illness. Melissa Miller needs psychological help, not a speeding ticket.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

If you are a Christian then by definition you believe in the supernatural. Besides believing in God, there are the Angels, and of course, the fallen to believe in too. Satan and his demonic minions are a scary bunch, but if you believe part of it, you must believe all of it, even the nasty demon bits. It’s the part of religion that always made me shake my head in wonder. I never did buy in to the Satan and his minions are after your eternal soul story line, even when I was a fervent Christian.

Theatre of the absurd: Christian evangelists warn of the dangers of being raped by sexual demons, claiming that sometimes these demons lure people into homosexual behavior.

Charisma Magazine reports that those who minister to people in occult bondage say demon rape is real, and a fairly common occurrence.

Say what? If a demon rapes you in a dream, you turn gay? Demon rape is common? What kind of nonsense is this?

For nearly two decades, Contessa Adams felt as though she had no power against the demonic violators of her body. She felt trapped in secrecy and shame and knew that the demons tormenting her wanted things to stay that way.

But God had another agenda for Adams when she found Christ in 1979. The former stripper has a ministry through which she exposes one of Satan's darkest secrets—sexual demons.

Saten’s darkest secrets are sexual demons that come to you in your sleep and make you gay. What? This theory is from a former stripper who pimps her life story as a means of making a living? Are people that dumb? Nobody believes this, right?

Show of hands now – how many of you who are gay and lesbians have been raped by a demon? Come on now. Don’t be shy.

Remember – Contessa Adams is simply making this shit up. She has no proof any of this exists beyond her own fictional narrative. She simply packages crap about demon fueled sex fantasies for the simple-minded believers who want to believe the world works by magic, and then sells it to them. Witches, demons, and zombies… oh my.

"It doesn't fail. Every October somebody [involved in the occult] comes and seeks me out," says Adams, who today is a Christian speaker, author and the director of Love in Action Ministries. "Once you've been in that realm, they spend the rest of your life trying to get you back."

A lady once approached Adams at her workplace, telling her that her ancestors--the French pirates who laid claim to Adams' native country of Dominica--sent her to Adams. Others have been bolder. One woman told Adams she was sent to do a tarot-card reading for her. On the same day, Adams says, the enemy dispatched a witch and a warlock to her.

Speaking of zombies…demons from the The Walking Dead are haunting my dreams. I’m absolutely sure that when the zombie apocalypse happens, I’m will roll around in zombie guts so that I don’t get munched. I dream about it every night. Damn you zombie gut demons! Damn you straight to hell! Pfft.

One common trope in California Libertarian politics is that we put forth flawed candidates and leaders. Whether it be single issue ferret farmers or spitting druids, we attract and endorse people who make the members of the majority parties laugh in their collective sleeves. We do ourselves no favors when our candidate for governor campaigns with single-minded determination for marijuana legalization while the real issues of the day are discussed at the adult table. We are irrelevant. The general populous thinks of us as wackos, nutjobs and buffoons.

I polled 73 people over the last two months and asked one question regarding our party. What one word best describes libertarians in California politics. The number one response was either wacko, crazy or nutjobs (64%). The number two was “out of touch” (22%).

Two respondents mentioned our officially sanctioned support of a convicted pedophile. I’d seen a few posts on Faceboodk mentioning a convicted sex offender in our leadership, but I did not know the name of the person or the specifics of the case. I looked it up this morning. It was not hard to find. The person in question is one Matthew Barnes. He was convicted in 1993 of three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14-years of age.

When members of the San Bernardino County Libertarian Party elected Matthew Barnes as the group's vice chairman for 2010, they knew he was a registered sex offender.

"The members of the party that voted for him, they voted for him knowing he had completed his time and his punishment and didn't want to hold that against him," said Paul Darr, the county party chairman, who says he's planning a run for the State Assembly. "He completed his punishment by the state and has been reformed."

Barnes, 41, pleased guilty in 1993 to three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old, according to court records. The crimes were committed in the summer of 1987, when Barnes was 19.

This guy, Matthew Barnes, had sex with a 13 year old in the 90's, and this local chapter of the Libertarian party sees no reason why he shouldn't be their vice chairmen since he already served his time. I can't help but wonder if they secretly see him as some sort of victim of the big bad government for not recognizing his right to fuck 13 year olds. Maybe if he did something truly horrible, like lobby to end exploitation of third world, sweat labour, they wouldn't have been so forgiving. ...fucking kids though, now that's forgiveable to them apparently.

I really hate libertarians. I really do. They think the 12th century practices pederastry, polygamy, prostitution, etc, are some how progressive…

This is a sickening story everyone, and I’m tired of sidestepping it. A convicted, multiple-offense, child molester has been working with the San Bernardino County LP here in California for some time now, and the county brass continues to shamefully justify his presence there, simply because they had a friendly relationship with him prior to learning of his crimes. Granted, I could overlook alot ...

I could keep posting blog comments, but I’ve made my point. Californians, when they hear of Barnes’ appointment, issues a collective WTF. So do I. Given my focus on clergy sex abuse, I am stunned that any political organization would put forth a convicted pedophile as its face to the public. What I know to be true through countless hours of research is that a pedophile can never serve in a position of trust, and they will never be trusted by the larger population. Pedophiles are also at high risk to abuse again. The downstream potential for damage to the Libertarian Party is enormous. It does not matter if the person is “rehabilitated” by serving a prison term. Pedophiles are a different class of criminal. One that requires an increased need for vigilance and little if any trust.

Politically speaking, pedophiles are toxic. They alienate people who might otherwise be attracted to our ideas and shift the dialog away from our ideas to our practices. Allowing Matthew Barnes a leadership role was a bad idea. It hurt the party and feeds the trope that we are a party of nutballs. We need people to talk about our ideas and not nutballs.

Matthew Barnes is no longer in a leadership role at the Libertarian Party of San Bernardino, but he is active. His name pops up all over the web associated with state and local libertarian events. In other words, the Libertarian Party of California will forever be tainted by the perception that it somehow supports pedophiles and that Barnes is our poster boy.

I have nothing against Matthew Barnes. I don’t know his ideas or the quality of his thinking. This is not about Barnes, this is about Libertarian leadership. Barnes should never have been allowed in a leadership position. If our leadership cannot see this simple fact, they do not deserve the privilege of leadership.

"Information was passed to us. We had it checked out. Found that it was factual and we are still proceeding with the investigation," Costantino said.

An affidavit states the victim's parent found inappropriate messages and pictures between Werneburg and his daughter. It also shows the two began texting in November of 2011 and exchanged at least 1,000 messages.

Note to parents – A youth pastor should never be allowed to communicate with your child via unsupervised or unsanctioned text messages or emails. As a parent, you should be monitoring your child’s cell phone activity.

"We had some allegations of sexual misconduct him basically inappropriately approaching a teenage girl. And with that we met with leadership of the church and asked for his resignation," Self said.

Wereneburg resigned in August, but Self says this was not the first allegation made against Werneburg.

"We had three allegations over the course of three years. Two of them he had come to me and said you are going to hear this personally, and it was a he said she said and we believed him and there was no anything else about it, but once we had that third allegation that was really significant in August," Self said.

Their youth pastor had three allegation of misconduct over three years. They kept him working with kids even though there were allegations because it was a “he said, she said” kind of thing and they believed him. Jesus friggen Christ people. Have you learned nothing? Hello! Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Note to parents: Your kids are not safe at First Baptist Church in Coalgate. Perhaps you should move on to Second Baptist, or even Third.

People who play the victim card annoy me. There is something wrong about hearing someone who has been injured milking the story for more than they deserve. It grates at me like a nasty rash. It's just wrong. The case of Grace Suozzi set me off today. She was sucker punched in Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve in 2011 by a poor excuse for a human named Jacquetta Simmons. A judged sentenced Simmons to five years in prison; largely for her attitude it would seem. I want to feel sympathy for the victim, but I am unable to feel much sympathy because I think she overplayed her injury.

Grace Suozzi testified at Simmons' sentencing. She is a gray-haired old lady (71) who seems fit and able. Yet one sucker punch has turned her into a jobless shut-in. Her life is one of fear… over a single sucker punch. She blamed all of her current problems on the event. She even asked for the victim to be forced to pay her medical bills. She garners no sympathy from me. Take your punch, demand justice, and get on with your life. If you need more than justice allotted, then sue Simmons for civil damages. The key idea here is, get on with your life. Don't let one incident define the rest of your life.

For me, life is like boxing, except I'm not a contender. I'm a journeyman earning my way as I go. Sometimes I take one on the chin (like getting the crap beat out of me many years ago), or sometimes I take a career hit, but sometimes I win too. I take the good with the bad and keep moving. If I dwelled on all my failures, mistakes and hurts, I'd be stuck in 1983. Small traumas are part of life. Sometimes it's you that takes a shot, sometimes its the next guy. A sucker punch causing a black eye and a single night in the hospital is small trauma. Move on.

Brian Skerry is a National Geographic nature photographer. On December 1, 2012 Skerry opens a photography exhibit at The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Admission to the exhibit is included with a general admission ticket to the Aquarium.

Skerry’s images capture once-in-a-lifetime moments with marine life, from a diver happening upon a gargantuan whale at the sea floor to a tiny fish looking out from inside a discarded soda can. Rich colors and luminous settings draw viewers in and transport them to the world found underwater. Skerry has traveled the globe for thirty years documenting the planet’s oceans and aquatic wildlife.

Watching Allen West desperately try to keep his congressional seat is entertaining and illuminating. West is intractable. He refuses to concede. He’s lost the election, that much was made clear in the recent recount. Now, he must exit the stage. Right?

“It’s time for Allen West to do the right thing and concede,” said Murphy’s senior adviser, Eric Johnson.

“As usual, Murphy’s people are full of garbage,” Tim Edson, West’s campaign manager, said. “This is something the secretary of state and governor will have to sort out.”

Don’t wait for West to concede. Let him go down in history as a self-deluded bully and loser. It will be better that way. Now, if we can just get him to act like Snagglepuss and exit, stage left. Heavens to Betsy, I need the laugh.

I’m trying to steal Christmas? I must not have gotten the memo. Am I supposed to march or something? I hate marching. And why am I always the last to know? Atheists… we need to work on our communications.

But seriously folks, Pat Roberson is a douche. He is a fear mongering and decrepit old hatemonger. Why does anyone listen to him?

The truth is, atheists do not give a rat’s ass about how Christians celebrate Christmas. All we ask is that you don’t trying to make us celebrate your Christmas. As an American, I am free to celebrate Christmas by not celebrating it. I exercise that right every year. Doing so does not hurt Christians at all, nor does it attack Christian’s most cherished commercial holiday. Christians will go shopping on black Friday. The will go to church on Christmas and Christmas Eve, and then, just like most of the rest of America, they will open presents on Christmas morning just like they have for the last 100 years. Move along people. There is nothing to see here.

All Pat Roberson’s inane and hateful pronouncements really do is give me an excuse to update his obituary.

Bible study, group sex, rape and murder – this amazing story of religious excess sounds like Hollywood fiction rather than something out of a Midwestern American Christianity. It is instead, the story of the birth of a new Christian cult based in personal charisma and group sex that eventually led to rape and murder. Tyler Deaton has a lot to explain.

While Deaton spoke in calm and assuring tones, at least one of his closest inner circle apparently was starting to come undone.

Three days later, investigators say, 23-year-old Micah Moore would go to police and uncork the terrible secrets that allegedly occurred over several months at a Grandview home where Deaton and other members of his religious group lived.

Witnesses told of a clan of young adults making sex part of their religious experience, of men in the group sexually assaulting Bethany over months, and of Deaton’s role as their “spiritual leader.”

I’m speechless. Religion can be used for evil by anyone. I see it on the pages of this blog every week.

Deaton is linked to IHOP.

Deaton’s group came from Texas to be part of the International House of Prayer, based in south Kansas City.

On Monday, Allen Hood, the president of the International House of Prayer, said in a statement that Deaton led his group independently and operated under a “veil of secrecy,” though members attended a school operated by IHOP. The statement also made reference to the group’s “disturbing religious practices.”

Since when is it a good idea to let anybody run a group under a “veil of secrecy?” By now we all know this to be dumb. IHOP is simply distancing themselves from yet another controversy. Deaton has been listed as a division coordinator on IHOP’s website until the charges came to light. Now… well, you know the story.

This is an odd case. Baptist youth pastor Robert Warren was arrested for giving “items of a sexual nature” to a teen girl in Yuma Arizona.

According to the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, a woman contacted their office over the weekend to report that her daughter had received “items of a sexual nature” from the church's youth pastor, 43-year-old Robert Warren.

Detectives from the sheriff's office interviewed the victim and were able to determine that Warren had made contact with the victim and informed her that he had obtained the items in question and had dropped them off at her house.Read more:Youth pastor at Yuma church arrested

We don’t know what the items are, but perhaps that makes it worse. My imagination conjures all sorts of unhealthy scenarios.

Warrant is the youth pastor at Valley Baptist Church. There is no mention of the arrest on the church website and there is no longer any mention of Robert Warren. The church is standing behind Warren.

Valley Baptist Church Pastor Glenn Conell told KSWT-TV that the incident was out of character for Warren and added that the church is standing behind him. However, Pastor Connell will consider taking appropriate action, depending on the police investigation.

Warren admitted sending the items. So why is the church standing behind him? There is no mention of support for the victim or her family.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

I had a chance to play a round of disc golf with Innova’s new line of “Blizzard” discs this morning. Blizzard technology reduces the weight of disc because the plastic is full of micro-bubbles. The weight reduction moved discs that I cannot normally throw into my range. I tried a 135 gram Wraith and a 139 gram Krait this morning expecting a pickup of 30’ or so. I hit 30’ and then some.

The real measure of performance is your score. My typical score at my home course, El Dorado DGC in Long Beach, is within two strokes of par over 18 holes. I am a par player who gets an occasional birdie and one or two bogies per game. I am so consistent that my results are normally predictable. My best game is a –4 for a 50. A typical game is +2 for 56. My best score on the front nine is –3; for the back nine it is –1.

I played nine holes this morning. I scored a –4 for a 23, which is a personal best. I birdied holes one, three, six and eight. I can discount hole three as lucky because I made a 45’ putt for birdie, which is a 1 in 20 putt for me. The other birdies were normal putts (under 20’). I putted 27’ for birdie on hole four and missed. I putted 47’ for birdie on hole five and bounced off (after a 315’ drive). Hole seven was a disaster. I hit a tree with my drive and needed a 220’ upshot to save par. I landed within 10’ and nailed my putt. I did the same on hole nine. Hole two was a good drive which landed behind a tree. I made a good position shot and then putted for par from 15’. It was a very good round.

I used the Wraith as the driver on each hole. I threw a second drive with the Krait for comparison. My distance pickup averaged 60 feet. The reason I hit four birdies and putted for two others is simple; I was pin high on each hole. The lighter plastic worked. I could throw the Wraith; the Krait, not so much. It was a tree magnet.

The distance was nice, but control issues caused me to miss target to the left by a large margin. I was usually pin high and 40’ to the left.

My average open-field drive is normally between 210 and 240’. In an open field test this morning, I threw the Krait an average of 275’ and the Wraith a stunning (for me) average of 315’. My longest drive was 325’, but I was helped by a huge jump off a concrete sidewalk. I do not yet have the control I need with either disc. I’m sure control will come with practice.

I’m heading over to Discover the World to buy the entire inventory of Blizzard plastic so my disc golf friends cannot get their hands on this stuff. That’s fair. Right?

Friday, November 16, 2012

I’m a an atheist spelltard. I have a few friends who edit posts. They gently correct my errors. My ego survives the process, but just barely. I can easily fix errors. It’s not like they are written in stone…

He alleges another priest came into to the room and asked Rapson what he was doing.Rapson replied: "You know what we do here."To which the other priest said: "You've really got to resist."Rapson replied: "God made us this way and it's his fault."

Thursday, November 15, 2012

I am aware enough about public events to know that the term “adverse possession” means some lowlife scammer is attempting to use an obscure legal concept to steal a house from its legitimate owners. It almost never works. Yet, unscrupulous people will teach you the concept. They will even give paid seminars in churches where the concept is promoted as a Christian activity. God wants you to be rich you know.. which leads me to my next story.

Pastor Tami Robinson, she actually refers to herself as Apostle Robinson, was arrested for attempting to acquire two homes via adverse possession. Her cover story is that she was finding homes for the homeless. Of course, she was arrested….

She filed paperwork with the Property Appraiser's Office, changed the locks on two empty Riverview homes and moved people in — people who need homes, she said. Struggling people.

But authorities say it's a crime: burglary, fraud and grand theft. They arrested Robinson and one of her church members, Samantha Magras-Gavin, last month.

Robinson claims it was God’s work. The real test is who profits from the transaction. The homeless families get a place to live for free (I assume). Robinson gets two houses. Something smells fishy.

Robinson said she changed the locks but added that she never claimed to own the homes. That couldn't happen until she had paid the property taxes for seven years, she said.

Our vision is based on a mantle of Godly Relationship. Through the union of marriage the Apostles' were given this vision to equip, nurture, and foster an atmosphere that leads others to a divine covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ in every are of their lives. The Apostles are prolific speakers and teachers of spiritual principles, apostolic order, government, and relationship, economic empowerment, spiritual growth and development, and relationship management and growth. We also have More and Better Marriage and Relationship Ministry; Covenant Outreach Ministry; and a host of other opportunities to allow God's people to grow and exercise their gifts and callings. SEE OUR RELATIONSHIP RETREAT INFO AT www.morewomanbetterman.com

I’m not sure if they have a church, but you can get relationship advice from two newlywed apostles… who both came from broken marriages. Run right out and sign up now. It seem legit. Be sure to ask for their credentials. I’m sure they have advanced degrees and counseling certifications.

Robinson is an African American. Apparently, she thinks that the police targeted her for arrest because of her race. She’s filed a lawsuit. I’m thinking trying to steal two houses may have caused her arrest .

"Anyone can go down and file a lawsuit," said Larry McKinnon, spokesman for the sheriff's office, "but we're prepared to deal with it and we're going to continue protecting the rights of people who own homes and expect to come back and find them the way they left them."

Robinson filed suit without legal representation. It will be interesting to see where this one goes.

The women who brought the suit are representing themselves and have no lawyer. A man described as their spokesman, who said he holds a law degree, thinks the real culprits are financial institutions that are keeping a huge inventory of foreclosed homes off the market to artificially inflate prices.

The man, who is also not a lawyer… oh my. This has stupid written all over it.

The last time former pastor Clinton Feemster was arrested for soliciting sex from a undercover male police officer he was found not guilty, but it cost him his job. That was in 2011. Fast forward to 2012 and we find Clinton Alexander Feemster arrested for soliciting sex from a male police officer in the same airport overlook. I’m thinking I should refer to Feemster as gay former Baptist pastor Clinton Feemster from here on out.

According to a warrant affidavit, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer E. Roman and four detectives went to the airport overlook for a sting operation. The overlook is known as a “meeting place for males interested in engaging in illegal public sexual acts,” according to the affidavit…

…Feemster asked the undercover officer to talk with him at the picnic tables on the overlook grounds. Feemster offered to engage in a sex act with Officer Roman in a public location, according to the affidavit.

Erin Moran is in trouble and for some reason that makes me sad this morning. Moran played Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days. For many men my age (51), Joanie represented that sweet and innocent girlfriend we all secretly desired. If you are my age, you know what I'm talking about. She is 51 now, homeless, and living in transient hotels after losing her "home" in an Indiana trailer park. As I sit in a Denny's in Sylmar waiting for my breakfast, I cannot help but feel sad. In my mind Moran is still a happy-go-lucky kid. In reality she is a troubled adult on the road to oblivion. Life is hard… it is even harder when people are watching.

Moran is said to be writing an autobiography.

Now Moran is holed up in an Indiana hotel, ready to share her story about the difficulty of finding fame at a young age.

My guess is that we are never going to see her book. We are much more likely to read a biography chronicling her long decline and eventual death. She's on that road now. The dead end is just around the next bend.

Her life is one of alcohol induced craziness.

The pair then hatched a plan in which Fleischmann moved back alone and would sneak Moran into the trailer after his mother went to sleep. The ruse collapsed when the 72-year-old caught Moran slipping in and threatened to call the cops.

"She finally did leave, but Steve's mom was right on her heels, chasing her out of the trailer, shouting at Erin as she made her way across the yard to their car," according to a witness. "Steve's mom was standing in the street in a nightgown and hair curlers, and the two women were screaming profanities at each other."

My breakfast just arrived. It's time to get my head back into the real word. Erin Moran, if you are out there listening, people still care. Step away from the booze and get some help before you end up an even sadder footnote to a once happier time.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

I had lunch with a good friend today. We talked libertarian nutballs for a few minutes and then moved on to discuss some of the pillars of libertarian theory. Take the pillar that states government welfare could be replaced by private enterprise if given an opportunity. We hear about it all the time. Ron Paul referred to it as the "generous society" during his failed presidential bid. It is a theory that states people, companies, and social organizations would step up to take care of those in need if government programs ended. Although the theory is a nice-to-believe libertarian staple, practical experience and world travel tells me that the absence of a government safety net results in anarchy, neglect, and death. Some people or organizations step up, but its never enough. People starve, or die from infections, or are victimized in some other horrible way. The world is a hard place. Survival of the fittest should not extend to human society. Social Darwinism is not libertarian thinking. It is a libertarian mental illness.

Enough of my ranting. My real question, and the subject of today's friendly lunch discussion, are there any well-known libertarian charity efforts? I thought long and hard about the questions and came up dry. In fact, I cannot remember charity being discussed in any group meeting or online forum except as something other people would do if needed. I realize I have a limited sample size, but I just don't know of many local or national libertarian charities or charity events. I certainly don't see it at the local or State levels. We don't eat our own dog food. How sad is that?

People, and by people I mean non-libertarians, would take us more seriously if we were able to actually help the needy. Hell, if we could just organize a quarterly food drive it would help establish the principle that we practice what we preach; but we don't. Instead, we preach as if charity happens by libertarian magic.

Do you know of a libertarian charity effort? Drop me a note in the comments. I'd love to promote it here on my blog.

Theo Ehret captured the soul of boxing at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles during his tenure as staff photographer.

Curator Steve DeBro said he and sportswriter David Davis sifted through thousands of images these past years in the hopes of giving Ehret his due as an artist. That’s not what he considered himself, said DeBro: ”For him, it was just a job.”

Over the decades Ehret captured the greats, from Cassius Clay to Andre the Giant. He also chronicled celebrity audience members like Clint Eastwood, Ryan O’Neal, Sylvester Stallone, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion.

But while the Olympic became a hip spot in its later years, its roots were for the common man. ”The tickets to the Olympic were cheap. It was very much for everyday working Angelenos. People’d go out and have a beer, and see a fight,” said DeBro.

I remember the smell of the place. It was all cheap beer and sweat, mixed with smoke and blood. My dad took me when I was too young to appreciate the spectacle. Later in life I would sneak away with friends to catch a fight or two. It was amazing. The Olympic is a Korean church now… talk about a buzz kill.

Do you remember Fredde Blassie? I do, and I’m willing to brave the crowded streets of LA to go see a photo or two of my childhood idol.

Ehret’s photos are worth a look Theo Ehret: Grand Olympic Exhibition. The exhibition runs from November 15 to the 30th. The exhibition opens, Thursday November 15th from 7:30pm – 12:00am at the Kim Sing Theatre, 718 Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90012.

I asked 34 people what they thought of Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. I should add. I asked people that were not already libertarians, of the 33, most were democrats. The results are interesting.

Of the 34 people I talked to, 33 people had not heard of Gary Johnson.

One person knew of Gary Johnson but had no idea what he stood for.

I asked a follow-up question. What do you think the Libertarian party stands for?

My answers were all over the map on this one. I've grouped them by themes below.

They want to over throw democracy. (40%)

They do not believe in America (a states rights response). (22%)

The party died out in the 90s. (10%)

Libertarians are a branch of the Tea Party. (10%)

Libertarians are like Republicans but without the religion (10%)

The rest were, "I don't know."

My analysis: We don't do a good job getting the message out. What do you think?

The warning signs of a bad church are rarely written boldly across the headlines of national newspapers. They are in this case though. Convicted child molestor Darrell Gilyard is back in the pulpit, and he wants to preach to your kids.

If you are thinking of attending Mt. Tabernacle Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, read this article and think again.

A convicted sex offender can keep on preaching, but children are barred from attending his sermons.

The Florida Times Union reports that lawyers for Darrell Gilyard withdrew a motion to allow minors at sermons conducted by the former Jacksonville, Fla., megachurch pastor.

That's right. Darrell Gilyard, a convicted child molester and registered sex offender, leads Mt. Tabernacle Baptist Church, but cannot preach or be around people under the age of 18. Who in their right mind would attend this church?

Remember. Gilyard is a convicted child molester and has a history of prior sexual misconduct allegations. Attending this church with your children or your wife is a senseless risk. I cannot fathom who would vote to put this man in a pulpit or the insanity of thinking choosing a child molester as your pastor is the right thing to do. What the hell are these Baptists thinking? Gilyard is not "restored." He cannot and should not be trusted. If he must be a pastor, make him pastor of lawn cutting or pastor of gutter cleaning. Have him work for 20 years doing tasks that afford no opportunity to abuse another woman or child. Then, and only then, look at his life and determine if he is truly "restored." I'm betting the answer is still no.

The over and under line on the next abuse case is two years. Any takers?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

I was listening to a random playlist of New Orleans jazz as I was driving to Newbury Park this morning. I usually start my commutes with music. It helps steady my nerves for the coming fight with LA traffic. I switched over to NPR after a few songs. The first thing I heard was that Bob French had died. Weird. Right?

Robert "Bob" French Sr., the longtime leader and drummer of the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band and an outspoken, at times controversial, WWOZ-FM deejay, died on Monday, Nov. 12, after a long illness. He was 74.

Bob French was one of those names that I always associated with New Orleans jazz. I am saddened by his passing.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a royal commission into institutional responses to allegations of child sex abuse in Australia. She says the catholic church will not be the only target, which is good since the Baptist and Evangelical churches have the same problem.

The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. After the 'novel Kuroi Jukai' was published, in which a young lover commits suicide in the forest, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The site holds so many bodies that the Yakuza pays homeless people to sneak into the forest and rob the corpses. The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

I have a theory that states that the reason libertarian ideas fail to gain traction in America is because of the idiots who deliver the message. California election history is replete with examples of unqualified candidates spouting single interest positions, which, in the end, scare voters away from our movement and our ideas. It happens every election cycle.

Because American Voters rejected his ideas, Eric Dondero is quitting the Libertarian Republican blog.

This may be my last post here at Libertarian Republican for quite some time, possibly forever…

His plan is odd.

…today starts a new course for my life. I've soured on electoral politics given what happened last night. I believe now the best course of action is outright revolt. What do I mean by that?

What does he mean by outright revolution?

However, for me, I'm choosing another rather unique path; a personal boycott, if you will. Starting early this morning, I am going to un-friend every single individual on Facebook who voted for Obama, or I even suspect may have Democrat leanings. I will do the same in person. All family and friends, even close family and friends, who I know to be Democrats are hereby dead to me. I vow never to speak to them again for the rest of my life, or have any communications with them. They are in short, the enemies of liberty. They deserve nothing less than hatred and utter contempt.

That’s some fearsome revolution right there. Eric Dondero unfriended me. Oh my. The pain is to much to bear.

It gets better. Eric is a bully with a puerile mean streak.

When I'm at the Wal-mart or grocery story I typically pay with my debit card. On the pad it comes up, "EBT, Debit, Credit, Cash." I make it a point to say loudly to the check-out clerk, "EBT, what is that for?" She inevitably says, "it's government assistance." I respond, "Oh, you mean welfare? Great. I work for a living. I'm paying for my food with my own hard-earned dollars. And other people get their food for free." And I look around with disgust, making sure others in line have heard me.

Eric’s “revolution” is to bully welfare recipients. His bullying is the ultimate act of failure. He cannot influence politics to limit welfare benefits because his message is too extreme for rational adults to appreciate. Instead, he attacks those who are in need. Way to go you crazy libertarian crusader. Anyone who interacts with crusader Eric will think one thing; Libertarians are crazy. He does not help our cause at all. Nor do his stupid rants represent our movement. Eric Dondaro is a nutball, and like other nutballs, we should ignore him.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

It’s a sad story folks. Pastor Ryan Jay Muelhlhauser, 55, stands accused of eight counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He allegedly molested two men he was helping to “escape” homosexuality. It’s Treebeard logic. Thinking that you can escape danger by drawing closer to it. In this case, you can escape homosexuality by letting a pastor grab your junk. Pffft. Hypocrite!

Muelhlhauser worked as the Sr. pastor for Lakeside Christian church, and as a counselor for the rabidly anti-gay Christian organization Outpost Ministries. Ryan assumed the Sr. Pastor position at Lakeside on January 1. Prior to that he worked as an associate pastor for the same church for 22 years.

I’m worried about qualifications in this case. The press release from his installation at Lakeside Christian Church mentioned his education as coming from two institutions. Bethel College and Christian Outreach School of Ministries.

Muehlhauser is a graduate of Bethel College, Arden Hills, Minn., and Christian Outreach School of Ministries, Hillsboro, Mo. He had served as an elder at Lakeside prior to getting his ministry credentials and returned from COSM in 1989 to begin his service to the church as associate pastor. In his time at Lakeside, he has experienced the full-range of congregational ministries. He said he feels very privileged to continue to serve this church, which has become family to him. Muehlhauser sees his strengths as prayer and mentorship.

…Christian Outreach School of Ministries, to reflect the growing curriculum. From the day the doors opened men began to plead for training as leaders for the stateside church. Courses were added that would help students graduate with skills in preaching, teaching, apostolic, and prophetic work in the United States.

We are talking leadership training at COSM, and mediocre leadership training by the look of things. What about Bethel College? It was a four-year program at the time Muelhlhauser attended the school in the early 80s. They featured a liberal arts program then, so my guess is that Muelhlhauser had no formal training as a counselor. As is typical in these cases, Muelhlhauser was a hobbyist laboring under the false belief that his religiosity somehow made him a qualified counselor. We know where this leads, and it’s not a happy ending (or maybe it is).

Outpost Ministries is a proponent of reparative therapy which uses prayer and counseling to “cure” gay people. One would think that those participating in this process would have a formal scientific education backing up their controversial anti-science and anti-gay stance, and not Joe pastor who thinks homosexuality is a sin and curable. One would think…

So… the real story here is an unqualified anti-gay pastor is gay himself and that his life is a lie. I’m sure he was married the whole time and produced kids too. Hypocrisy at its finest folks.

“As a church, we are deeply saddened by the report by certain inappropriate behaviors during counseling sessions by one of our pastors, Ryan Muehlhauser. At this point we do not believe that there has been any involvement with minors. We ask that if you are aware of any others that may have been abused, you immediately report that to the Isanti County Sheriff’s Department at 763-689-2141.”

One of our pastors? He was your Sr. Pastor. He was your leader. Yet now, there is no trace of him on your website and no mention of his arrest either. I understand the Christian reaction to allegations that their pastor is gay. Christians will stand behind their child-molesting pastors until they are marched off to prison, but a gay pastor will be erased from the collective memory as quickly as possible least he contaminate the flock. Muelhlhauser worked for your church for 22 years. Are you really going to erase him on the basis of an allegation? Christians… geez.

Outpost Ministries erased him too. There is no statement on the website, nor is there any a public statement or press release. Muelhlhauser is simply gone.

Muelhlhauser must face the music. I’d like to see him held accountable for the damage he caused to those poor gay men participating in Outpost Ministries’s reparative therapy sessions, but I doubt that will happen. Molesting a person under pastoral care is a crime. Even if the victims were consenting adults. His victims were harmed.

One of the alleged victims met with authorities Nov. 4 and said Muehlhauser would minister and mentor him, and help him through his “homosexual tendencies.”

The victim said on multiple occasions Muehlhauser would place his hands on his genital area and call the sexual occurrences “blessings.”

Perhaps cock blessings are part of the ministry? Who knows really? They are just making it up as they go anyway.

If you are a victim of Pastor Ryan Jay Muelhlhauser I’d really like to talk to you. Email me at mojoeyATgmailDOTcom.

Thank you Anthony Bourdain and No Reservations for turning me on to a great new band. I caught episode 128, “Lisbon”. The band Dead Combo (Tó Trips and Pedro V. Gonçalves) was featured in an early segment. I loved their sound. Enjoy.

I’ve always enjoyed No Reservations. I watched the final episode a few days ago. I’m sad to see it go. I like Tony’s attitude, plus I identify with him a little. I’ve traveled a lot and been all over the world myself. The best travel experiences are always built around food (and beer).